Replacing a light bulb usage to be an easy task, but nowadays there are so many choices available at the local home centers that trying to buy the right one can be confusing and with new technology comes additional choices. LED’s (light emitting diodes) as a home lighting source are one of the most recent additions to the market place.
LED’s have been around for years. You have seen them in things like calculators and status indicator lights. In the past couple of years you may have also seen them in products like flashlights, Christmas lights and even in stop lights. Now they have made their way into our homes as a possible light source
As with most new technology as it makes its way into the open market initial costs are high. A typical 40 watt LED bulb may well exceed $40. This price is expected to drop fairly fast as more and more people become familiar with the benefits of using LED’s in the home.
There are however benefits to investing in LED’s. In the past the only thought given to buying or replacing a light bulb was what wattage was needed to light a specific area. Now, with so many advancements in new home lighting products, two additional areas come into play, energy efficiency and the projected life of the product. Choosing an LED light bulb may be initially a more costly choice, but when you take into consideration the savings on the cost of use and the longevity of the product these considerations do in fact offset the initial hefty purchase price.
The Energy Department estimates that switching to a more energy efficient light bulb such as LEDs or CFL’s (compact fluorescent lights) consumers can in fact save as much as $6 or more per year per light bulb. In addition the expected longevity of a LED light bulb is estimated at 10 to 15 years with normal use.
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